Glass bead forming machine



P. LEBRUN GLASS BEAD FORMING MACHINE `lune 5, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l y Filed April 30, 1948 June 5, 1951 Filed April so. 1948 P. LEBRUN 2,555,893

GLASS BEAD FORMING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 elW'IIHIIHHHHIIIIHHf 7 IIIIIIIII INVENTOR.

Patented June 5, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to glass bead forming machines.

The object of the invention is to form a glass bead from a heated glass rod in a continuous operation, substantially unaided by the hand of man, save for periodic adjustment ofthe glass rod heating flame due to variations in gas pressure. r

The invention consists in means for supporting a metal wire, as copper, in a rotating disc, means for rotating the wire while moving with the disc, a regulated band for holding the wire against said last named means for rotating it, said band extending around a substantial portion of the disc, and being fastened to the frame of the machine exterior to the disc, means applying molten glass to the metal wire during its rotation, and means cutting off the wire close to the bead.

The invention consists also in the novel features of the band, and in the cutting device.

The invention will be further described, embodiments thereof shown in the drawings, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

ln the accompanying drawings,

Fig. l is an end view partly in section;

Fig. 2 is a side View taken on line 22 of Fig, l seen in the direction of its arrows;

Fig. 3 is a spaced view of parts of the mechanism shown in Figs. l and 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view partly in section of Fig. 2',

Fig. 5 is a side view of the band separate from the wheel to show its manner of being supported;

Fig. 6 is a front view of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary top view showing the wire cutting device;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section of Fig. 7, taken on line 8 8;

Fig. 9 is a detail top view somewhat enlarged over the scale used in Fig. 7, and taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8; and

Fig. yl()y is a detail view taken on line I0-I0 of Fig. 9, to show the operation of the grooved wheel carrying the wire.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the various views.

Referring to the drawings, the frame I consists of two vertical parallel spaced members, which support the driving shaft 3 and the shaft 2 above it. The shaft 2 is driven by the driving shaft 3, by the gears d and 5. On the shaft 2 is a main wheel 9 composed of these parts: a pair of cast jaws 6 in reverse form, on each of which is fastened a disk 1 of heat resisting metal having a certain number of slots 8 circumferentially spaced. The shaft 2, the jaws E and the disks 1 rotate together. Adjacent the inner surface of each disk l is a disk I I of a diameter larger than the diameter of the adjacent disk 'l measured at the bottom of the slots 8. Within the two disks II is a gear I9 (Fig. 3), arranged to rotate together, the disks I I being of heat resisting metal. The disks II with the gear I0 between the same form a unit free of the shaft 2 and of the sleeve I2. The disks II and gear lil have central openings for the passage of the sleeve I2.

A box I4 is mounted on a support I5. In this box I4 are placed a certain number of wires cut the proper length. The box I4 is set to allow an angular adjustment and spacing relative to the disk l, so that one wire at a time may drop into and be picked up by a pair of opposed slots of the two disks l. Wires Il of predetermined and even lengths held in the slots 8 travel with the disks l. As soon as the said wire contacts a ribn bon or band spring I6 it starts turning, and when it reaches its highest position, it receives on both ends a certain amount cf glass from the glass rods I8 which glass is melted by a torch or burner I9 seen in Fig. 2. The amount of glass distributed on both ends of the wire Il is accurately con trolled by the rotation of the shaft 24. The cable or appropriate chain 25 seen in Fig. 2 is twisted around the shaft 24 and being guided from, the top by the pulleys 26 gives, in its descending movement, an even distribution of glass on the wire. Weight and counterweight 2l assures a soft and perfect motion. After both beads are formed on a single piece of wire, by the rotary movement of the wire, they travel circumferentially with the discs 'I and cool cti during their travel until they reach two circular cutting wheels 28.

On the shaft 2, is secured a sprocket 2U over which a chain 23 passes, which also passes over sprocket 2I` on a shaft 24 rotatable inthe upper ends of the frames I. A cable 25 passes over the shaft 24 preferably with one convolution, and the cable 25 passes over two pulleys 2B. One free end of the cable 25 is provided with a weight 2l. The other free end of the cable 25 is provided with a co-balancing counterweight 21a, in the form of a sleeve holding glass rods I8. The glass rods I3 are suspended vertically and in. a vertical plane. The weight of the rods I3 and the counterweight, are adjusted to the weight Z'l, and the rode I8 are given an even downward movement.

At each of the perimeters of the disks 1, a

cutting device is applied to out the wire at two points, just where the wire extends laterally of the disks 1, and as close to the beads as possible. The intermediate piece of wire without a bead, is collected, and may be sold as metal. The two short pieces of Wire each with a bead thereon is subjected to an acid bath to dissolve the metal and leave the bead free of any portion of the wire.

In Fig. 4 is shown generally and diagrammatically the wire cutting attachment, which is shown in detail in Figs. 7 to 10.

Referring to larger views, in Figs. 'l to l0, the bed plate Ia supports two spaced bearing supports 36. In each, a shaft 29 rotates, which has a pinion 30a keyed thereto, and has an adjacent gear wheel 34, at one side of the support 3! and a cutter 28 at its other side. This cutter 23 is a rotary cutter and bevelled, the sharpened edge of which is adapted to cut the wire il, holding the beads I'Ia. The wire I'I is cut about the same distance from the bead, as the length of the wire extends out of the other side of the bead.

A gear wheel 5 meshes with the pinion 35a to drive the shaft 29. A pinion 33 meshes with the gear wheel 34 and a shaft 32 secured to the gear Wheel 33 is supported in bearings in the support 30. The shaft 32 extends through the support 536i, and has secured to it a grooved wheel 3l. This grooved wheel 3l extends at its periphery beyond the periphery of the wheel 9. The grooved wheel .3I is so placed that the wire Il with its pair of beads may drop from its slot 3 upon a transverse groove in the grooved portion, so that the wire is conveyed to the cutting edge of the disc knife 28. The side of the grooved wheel is close to the side of the cutting wheel as seen in Fig. 9. The band I6 yields by the pressure of the wire Il' when moved by the grooved wheel, as shown in Fig. 10. At the other side of the wheel 9, a similar structure is provided, so that the wire I'I is cut twice simultaneously. The intervening part IIb of the wire Il, drops down, as also the two beads I'Ia, with a minimum of wire therein. This small amount of wire is then dissolved by a suitable acid, and the beads are assorted and are ready for sale. Preferably the shaft 29 runs the whole length of a batttery of wheels, if present.

'I'he grooved wheel is placed in such a way that the cutting of the wire is done outside of the diameter of the main slotted disk l. This is for the purpose to eject the wire out of the slot, and

=also to slightly bend the wire, so it can pass easily between the cutting wheels 28.

The band I6 has one end secured` to a bracket 35 by a rod 36, on which one end of the band is preferably looped. The other end of the band is secured to a helical spring 38, the other end of which is secured to a fastener 31a, supported by a bracket 37. This band may be adjusted to give a gentle yielding pressure to the wires Il to hold them in the slots, and to act as a resistance, to assure rotation of the wires while the bead is being formed.Y

The rod 36 preferably passes along a battery of wheels, if present. This arrangement has the purpose to regulate theproper tension of the band I6 on the main wheel, and at the same time allow some flexibility to the band, especially in case two or three Wires are picked up in a slot.

The operation is as follows:

. When the driving shaft 3 is rotated by a suitable power pulley, it communicates its rotation to the shaft 2 by the intermediary of the gears 4 and 5 and the jaws 6 and disks I follow the same rotation, as jaws 6 and disks 1 are keyed tothe 4 shaft 3. In the meantime, the gear I3, which is also driven by shaft 3, gives a rotary movement to the gear I0 and to the disks II, which gearing I6 and disks 'I are freely rotatable on sleeve I2 of the shaft 2, independent of the jaws 6 and disks 1. The gears 4 and 5 and also I9 and I3 are so related to each other that the gear III and disks II turn slightly faster than the jaws 6 and disks '1'. The purpose of this is to create a differential speed, so that when a wire is held in the bottom of the slots 8, and held by the band I6, and reaches its uppermost or highest position, it is rotated by the plates II, and thus rotates at the proper speed pre-determined by the requirements of bead formation. The wire is held in contact with the disks I I by the band i6 arranged over a certain arc of about of the disks II. The band I 6 has such a rigidity and inherent resiliency, as shown in Fig. 5, as to stay in its initial position aroundthe wheel to prevent it from collapsing against any part of the wheel. However, the metal bead wire acts to press against the band, and slightly displace it or givey it a tension, whereby the band presses against the wire. By bringing the non-stretchable metal band over that part of the wheel after the molten glass has been appliedto the wire, and have it extend close to the locality of the cutting device, the wire is rotated to complete the configuration of the bead, and the continued rotationtends to cool the bead until it reaches the cutter.

The wires l l with their partially formed beads thereon, continue their rotation, while being Vcarried along by their slotted discs l, theV beads gradually shaping themselves into nal shape, and gradually cooling. When they reach the cutting device, the cutting operation takes place as described.

The important improvement is the regulated band action, and the cutting device, both combined with the wheel as described. I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a glass bead forming machine having a driving shaft, the combination of a pair of disks rotatable circumferentially in a vertical plane having wire receiving slots open at the peripheries of the disks, a second pair of disks intermediary said first pair having smooth periph- -eries for contact with the wires in the slots for rotating the Wires on their axes and having equal diameters and larger than the diameter at the bottoms of the slots in the first pair so that the wires rest on said second pair, means connected with the driving shaft for rotating the rst pair, Imeans connected with the driving shaft for rotating the second pair faster than the first pair, a band for holding the wires while in the slots of the first pair, against the peripheries of the second pair, said band having a span of more than 180 extending around the circumferences of the second pair, and a spring for said band for providin-g an elastic pressing action against the wires, said band extending circumferentially from the highest point of said second pair, with means for supplying a gob to the highest wire dncluding means for suspending a pair of glass rods, spaced laterally from each other a distance larger than the width of said rst pair of disks but within the length of the wires, a stationary burner, and means actuated by said driving shaft for moving the rod suspending means to lower u; the ends of the rods, to the burner for heating the ends of the rods and moving the heated ends of the glass rods to the highest wire for forming a gob on the Wire, said heating taking place when the next wire moves to its highest position.

2. In a glass bead forming machine having a driving shaft, the combination of a pair of disks rotatable oircnmierentially in a vertical plane having Wire receiving slots open at the peripheries of the disks, a second pair of disks inter- Inediary said iirst 'pair having smooth peripheries for Contact With the wires in the slots for rotating the Wires on their axes and having equal diameters and larger than the diameters at the bottoms of the slots in the iirst pair so that the Wires rest on said second pair, means connected with the driving shaft for rotating the first pair, means connected with the driving shaft for rotating the second pair faster than the first pair, a band for holding the wires While in the slots of the rlrst pair, against the peripheries of the second. pair, said band having a span of more than 180 extending around the ciroumferences or the second pair, and a spring for said band for providing an elastic pressing action against the Wires, said band extending circumferentially from the highest point of said second pair, with means for supplying a gob to the highest wire including a stationary burner, and means for sopporting a pair of glass rods spaced laterally from each other a distance larger than the width of said nrst pair of disks but Within the length of the Wires, and means actuated hy said driving shaft for moving the lower ends of said glass rods to the burner for heating the ends and moving the heated ends of the glass rods to the highest Wire for forming a gob on the Wire, said heating taking place when the next Wire moves to its highest position, a pair of cutting devices within 180 span of the band for cutting the beaded wires within the beads thereon and exterior t0 the Width of the band, and means connected with the driving shaft, for actuating said pair of cutting devices.

PAUL LEBRUN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 601,062 Neuss Mar. 22, 1898 1,580,076 Paisseau Apr. I5, 1926 1,643,215 Koenig Sept. 20, 1927 1,709,524 Demers Apr. 16, 1929 2,234,976 Muntwyler Mar. 18, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 152,762 Germany June 22, 1904 630,452 France Dec. 3, 1927 

